Cross Vermont Trail
Celebrating local trails and working to join them together - across Vermont!
The Cross Vermont Trail is a project to make a multi-use path the width of Vermont following the Winooski River and Wells River.
Imagine walking out your front door and within minutes stepping onto a system of paths leading through village centers, to schools, parks, wild areas and beyond - a network of local trails, inviting to all - interconnected. This is the dream of the Cross Vermont Trail.
You can help! The Cross Vermont Trail Association is a non-profit organization working to make this dream a reality. We are member based and volunteer driven. Everyone is welcome to join.
Cross Vermont Trail is a state wide biking and walking route that highlights local trails, and identifies the best roads that can be used to connect them together to make longer trips. Read our online guide and maps to plan your exploration!
Cross Vermont Trail is a project to build new trails with the long term goal of creating a complete off road route, joining together local trails into a state wide network. This is a true grass roots effort, you can help!
The Cross Vermont Trail is a cooperation of many landowners and local groups. We link efforts across boundaries, and are a responsible partner to care for trails where property owners are interested in allowing public use.
Through PayPal, with any major credit card.
CVTA is a small non profit charity - all contributions go to work on the trail!
July 2024 Flooding
Many trails along Cross Vermont route impacted.
The flooding of July 10 - 11, 2024 tracked along most of the Cross Vermont Trail route. We are working gradually to bring trail back up to standard. As of Fall 2024 the full route is passable, but there are rough spots and places that need more than normal care.
See Trail condition updates page for an overview of the initial impacts.
The Bridge is Open!
And we are going full steam to build over 5 miles of new trail - to complete a connection from the Montpelier Bike Path up to U-32 and across East Montpelier to where the rail trail starts at Route 14.
A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the bridge and the first section of new trail to public use was held in 2022.
Throughout 2024 (after the flood delay of 2023) we are finishing the connection trails up to U-32. Then later in 2024 and 2025 we will continue working upstream along the river, before finally cutting across country to the old railbed again and coming out at Route 14.
Read updates and see the full project summary here. And - just for fun - still keeping the crazy drone footage posted up showing the amazing bridge launch across the water.
CVTA Strategic Plan 2021 - 2025
Charting the way forward for the Cross Vermont Trail.
The Winooski Bridge is the start line, not the finish line. We are committed to thoughtfully persisting in the long term work needed to make real the vision of a trail across Vermont.
We will:
- increase off road trail mileage
- expand visibility of the work we do
- build capacity to be a resilient organization
- promote partnerships to strengthen regional trail networks and increase community vitality
Feature articles about Cross Vt Trail:
The spirit of our statewide route.
Shared stories
from trail journeys.
Read about the trips folks have made on the Cross Vermont Trail route. Just finished your own journey? Let us know what you saw!
Guidebook to nature and history along the Cross Vermont Trail.
Look beneath the surface. Explore the landscape of the trail. (The nature and history guide is keyed to locations in the statewide route map set.)
The guide is written in part by local middle and high school students. We'd like to work with more classes to continue to improve and expand it.
